Duane Arnold plant shut down for refueling

A refueling shutdown at the nuclear power plant near Palo will soon enter its second week.

NextEra Energy Resources confirmed that it shut down the Duane Arnold Energy Center at 11 p.m. Oct. 23 to begin replacing spent fueling rods.

About 900 additional workers are at the plant north of Palo to assist with the refueling, along with regularly scheduled maintenance and repairs, according to plant spokeswoman Renee Nelson.

The plant was last shut down for refueling in February 2009. It was also shut down on April 26, 2010 for maintenance and repairs to coils and valves on two cooling units.

The plant's majority owner, NextEra Energy,  has applied for an extension of the plant's original 40-year operating license. The plant is minority owned by Corn Belt Power Cooperative and Central Iowa Power Cooperative. It supplies enough electricity to meet the annual needs of about 600,000 homes.